January 2009 Weather Summary

The start of 2009 was fairly quiet weather-wise, while overall monthly temperatures averaged several degrees above normal at Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney. The first three weeks of the month offered very little in the way of snowfall, and the snow that did fall, accumulated less than an inch. The period from January 23 to 27 brought more widespread snowfall with amounts ranging from an inch and a half in north central Kansas, to seven inches in central Nebraska. The snow rapidly eroded as temperatures climbed well above freezing the latter few days of the month, and high temperatures on the 31st ranged from 56 degrees at Ord, to 70 degrees at Phillipsburg.

January 9: Strong winds developed following the passage of a cold front. Click here for the peak wind speeds.

January 12: Even stronger winds buffeted south central Nebraska and north central Kansas with wind gusts in the 50 to 60 mph range. Click here for the peak wind speeds.

January 19: Windy conditions returned on Martin Luther King Jr Day. Click here for the peak wind speeds.

January 23-27: Periods of light snow produced accumulating snowfall. The higher snowfall totals occurred in Nebraska, with the greatest amounts falling north of Highway 92 where snowfall tallied 5 to 7 inches. Farther south in Nebraska, snowfall averaged 2 to 5 inches. Snowfall amounts in north central Kansas averaged 1 to 2 inches. Click here for the five-day snowfall totals.